Locking means for drop front cabinets



Aug. 31, 1937. AA. T. swlMMER v LOCKING MEANS FOR DROP FRONT CABINETSFiled April 14, 1956 5 Sheets-Sheet l ffii i l I l i l l l l l l I JVM.

Glu/WAM Aug. 31, 1937.' A, T, swlMMER 2,091,382

LOCKING MEANS FOR DROP FRONT CABINETS Filed April 14, 1936 3Sheets-Sheet 2 Aug. 3l, 1937. A. T. swlMMER LOCKING MEANS FOR DROP FRONTCABINETS l Filed April 14, 1936 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Si l U71 er' TS1/vmTne;

Patented Aug. 3l, 1937 UNITED STATES LOCKING MEANS FOR` DROP FRONTOABINETS Albert Theodore Swimmer, Youngstown, Ohio,` assignor to TheGeneral Firepro'ofng Company, Youngstown, Ohio, a corporation of OhioApplication April 14, 1936, Serial No. 74,373

Claims.

This invention relates to iiling cabinets having drawers of the tiltingor drop-front type, and has particular reference to locking means forsuch drawers.

'54v Filing cabinets having drawers of the dropfront type arecharacterized by drawer fronts which are mounted to swing outwardly attheir tops relatively to the drawer body when the drawer handles, whichare on the drawer fronts,

-1() are pulled to open the drawers, and to swing inwardly to verticalor normal positions closing the fronts of the drawers when pressureisexerted thereon to close the drawers.

Accordingly, a general object of the present y1'5 invention is toprovide a locking means for cabinet drawers of the drop-front type,which locking means serves not only to lock the drawers against outwardmovement relative to the cabinet, but

` to lock the fronts of the drawers against outward swinging movementrelative to the drawers,

thereby completely to deny access to the drawers when the same arelocked in closed positions.

vOther objects of the invention are to provide a locking means forcabinet drawers of the dropiront type which functions as stated 'andwhich is of simple, inexpensive production and installation cost; whichis rugged and unlikely to get ,out of order; `which is easy to operate,and

which is entirely reliable and efficient in operation;

With the foregoing and other objects in view, which will become morefullyl apparent as the nature of the invention is better understood, thesame consists in the novel features of construc- 3'5 tion, combinationand arrangement of parts as will Vbe hereinafter more fully described,illustrated in the accompanying drawings and defined in the appendedclaims.

In the drawings, wherein like characters of` reference denotecorresponding Darts in the dif' ferent views:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of the top part Fig'u're 5 is a verticalsection on the line 5--5 of Figure 1.

Figure 5a is a View similar to Figure 5 showing the' unlocked status ofthe locking mechanism.

Figure 6 is a horizontal section on the line I5 6-6 of'Figure 5.

Figure' 7 is a vertical section on the line 1 1 of Figure 5; and

Figure 8 is -a perspective view of the cam element of thelockingmechanism. 10

Referring in detail to' the practical embodiment of the inventionillustrated in the drawings, A designates, generally, a cabinet casingand B designates, generally, a plurality of drawers slidablymounted insaid casing and provided with fronts b vwhich are hinged at theirbottoms to said drawersfor swinging movement; relative thereto betweenvertical positions closing the fronts of the drawers and positions atupward and outward'inclinations relative to the drawers to 20 afford.`free and easy access thereto.

The cabinet A and the drawers B and their drop-frontsb may be of anyknown or desired construction/and since no novelty is claimed respectingtheir detailed constructions, they need not bedescribed in detail. Onthe contrary, it is sufficient merely to state that the cabinet Ainclud'es, in accordance with common practice, side walls lil andahollow top l I; that the superimposed drawers B are mounted in anysuitable manner `for sliding movement through the open front of thecabinet between closed and open positions, and that the drawer sides areof materially lessA height than the drawer spaces, thereby ai'or'dingspaces above their sidesto accom- 35 nciodateI portions of the presentlocking mechanism.

' each side oi thecabinet A near the front thereotandoutwardly of thesides of the drawers Bs'o 'as jnot vto interfere with opening andclosing 40 movements of said drawers, is suitably mountedfor'verticalfmovement a vertically ydisposed lock bar l2 which extendssubstantially throughout the height of thecabinet'so as to be common toall ofthe drawers B.

Withinjthe hollow top II of the cabinet is a substantially horizontallydisposed rock bar I3 which'extends substantially from side to side ofthe cabinet and at itsends is suitably articulated to the upper ends `ofthe lock bars I2, as, for example, by'having its ends engaged in slotsin said lockY bars'. vMidway between its ends, said rock bar |3Yissuitably pivote'd, as indicated at |4, to a bracket I la or any 7otherXed part of the cabinet"to`p'll4 forv rocking'movement in a vertical 55hoo-k elements I5, one individual to the drop-frontA b of each drawer.These hook elements extend forwardly from the lock bars I2 above thesides of the drawers and are of such lengths that the hook formations I6at their outer or forward ends cooperate with keeper elements I'I on theinner ides of the drop-fronts b of the drawers Wherf said drawers areclosed and s-aid drop-fronts are in their normal or vertical positionsclosing the fronts of said drawers.

Since the lock bars I2 are simultaneously movable in opposite verticaldirections, the hook'formations of the hook elements I of one of thelock bars face upwardly and the hook elements of the other lock bar facedownwardly, as illus- ZO'trated in Figures 4 and 5, respectively.Moreover, the keeper elements; I'I which vcooperate with the hookelements I5 having the upwardly facing hook formations, face downwardly,and the keeper elements which cooperate with the hook elements havingthe downwardly facing hook formations, face upwardly, so that oppositevertical movements of the lock bars result in simultaneous locking andunlocking of the locking devices at opposite sides of the cabinet andthe drop-fronts as will be apparent.v

hook formations is held at its limit of downward movement, as determinedby any suitable stop means, and in which the lock bar having the hookvelements with the downwardly facing hook formations is held at itsupper limit of movement. In saidpositions of said lock bars the hookformations of the respective hook elements are disposed below and abovetheir related keeperelements I'I, respectively, assuming that thedrawers and their` drop-fronts are closed, and, therefore, thedrop-fronts are free to be opened and closed relative to the drawers andthe drawers are free to be opened and closed relative to the cabinet.

Mounted in the front o-f the cabinet top II adjacent to the upper end ofthe lock bar I2 having the hook elements I5 provided with the downwardlyfacing hook formations I6, is a key controlled look of any suitable typehaving a horizontally disposed, non-rotatable, inwardly and outwardlymovable barrel or its equivalent I9 by which is carried a cam plate 2Bfor cooperation with the upper end of said lock bar. That is to say,said cam plate 20 has a portion 2| thereof extending upwardly andinwardly over the top of the said'lock bar I2 and so related theretothat when the lock barrel I9 is in its outermost position, the said lockbar is permitted vto assume its uppermost position under the influenceof the` locking the drawers and their drop fronts closed.

In this connection, it is understood, of course, that when the lock barreferred to is forced downwardly, the other lock bar is moved upwardlyand thereby the drawers and their drop fronts are locked at both sidesthereof. f

Normally the lock barrel IS is urged outward-A ly by a suitable spring22 so that normally the spring I8 functions to maintain an unlockedstatus of the locking mechanism. vOn the other hand, said lock barrel,after being pushed inwardly to produce a locked status of the lockingmechanism, may be retained in vits innermost position in any suitable ordesired manner. In this connection, the drawings illustrate that thelock barrel I S is equipped with a pin 23 which is key projectable toengage the lock barrel casing or support 251 to prevent outward movementof the lock barrel from its innermost position.

If desired, there may be employed a coil spring 25 connected between thetop of the cabinet top II and the lock'` bar I2 with which is associatedthe cam plate 26, toassist the spring I8 in moving the rock bar I3 andthe lock bars I2 to their normal positions; In fact, a spring such as 25arranged as shown or at any other convenient point may be employed forthe purpose stated to the exclusion of the spring I8.

The keepers I 7 preferably are yieldably mount- I ed as shown or in. anyother suitable manner to assure their interlocking cooperation with thehook elements I5 without shock, it being pointed `out in this connectionthat the vertical movements of said hook elements are in excess of thatrequired to effect their engagement with and disengagement from saidkeeper elements and that during their engagement with said keeperelements, the latter yield.

Obviously, the hook elements I5 may be mounted on the lock bars I2 inany desired manner. As illustrated in the present instance, each hookelement is provided with a pair of lugs 26 engaged in a pair of slots 27formed in the lock bar to accommodate the same, and a screw 28 isemployed to secure each hook element to its lock bar, the lugs 26serving, as is apparent, to prevent rotary or other movements of thehook elements relative to the lock bars and to relieve the screws 28 ofstrains.

If it should be desired not to lock any one or more of the drawers whenany other one or more of the drawers is locked, this may be provided forsimply by removing the hook elements I5 associated with the drawer, ordrawers, which are not to be locked. Moreover, the present lockingmeans, instead of being provided at both sides of the cabinet, may beprovided at only one side of the cabinet.

Without further description it is thought that the features and-advantages of the invention will' be .readily apparent to those skilledin the art, and it will of course be understood, that changes in theform, proportion and minor details of construction may be resorted to,without departing appended claims.

I claim:-

1. In a cabinet having a drawer provided with a drop-front, a verticallydisposed vertically movable lock bar at each side of the cabinet, alatch element on each lockbar, a keeper on the dropfront at each sidethereof, a connection between said lock bars whereby they are verticallymovable in unison and in opposite directions to cause their latchelements to engage said keepers when the drop-front and the drawer areclosed, and key controlled lock means for moving said lock bars to causethe latch elements to lockingly engage said keepers. 3

2. In a cabinet having a drawer provided with a drop-front, a verticallydisposed vertically movable lock bar at each side of the cabinet, alatch element on each lock bar, a keeper on the dropfront at each sidethereof, a connection between said lock bars whereby they are verticallymovable in unison and in opposite directions to cause 5 their latchelements to engage said keepers when the drop-front and the drawer areclosed, spring means tending constantly to move said lock bars topositions in which said latch elements do not lockingly engage saidkeepers when the drawer l and the drop-front are closed, and keycontrolled lock means for moving said lock bars to positions in whichsaid latch elements lockingly engage said keepers when the drawer andthe drop front are closed. l 3. In a cabinet having a drawer providedwith a drop front, a vertically disposed vertically movable lock bar atthe side of the cabinet, a latch element on said lock bar, a keeperelement on the drop-front, spring means for vertically moving said lockbar in a direction to cause said latch element to be disengaged fromsaid keeper when the drawer and the drop-front are closed, a lockelement mounted on the casing for inward and outward movement, a cam onsaid lock element disposed for cooperation with said lock bar uponinward movement of said lock element to positively vertically move saidlock bar in a directon to cause said latch element to locking- 0 lyengage said keeper when the drawer and the drop-front are closed, keycontrolled means for locking said lock element in an inwardly movedposition thereof in which the latch element is lockingly engaged withsaid keeper, and spring 35 means separate from said rst mentioned springmeans for moving said lock element outwardly, thereby to permit said rstmentioned spring means to move said lock bar to a position disengagingsaid latch element from said keeper,

when said key controlled locking means is released.

4. In a filing cabinet having a drawer provided with a drop-front, latchmeans on the dropfront, cooperating latch means on the cabinet, 5`spring means for urging the latch means on the cabinet to unlatchedposition, cam means on the cabinet manually projectable and effectivepositively when projected to move the latch means on the cabinet tolatching position, spring 10 means separate from said first mentionedspring means tending constantly to retract said cam means, and a keycontrolled lock for securing said cam means projected.

5. In a cabinet, a drawer, a vertically disposed l5 vertically movablelock bar carried by the cabinet, a latch element on said lock bar, akeeper element on said drawer, spring means for vertically moving saidlock bar in a direction to cause said latch element to be disengagedfrom 2O said keeper when the drawer is closed, a lock element mounted onthe casing for inward and outward movement, a cam on said lock elementdisposed for cooperation with said lock bar upon inward movement of saidlock element to positively vertically move said lock bar in a directionto cause said latch element to lockingly engage said keeper when thedrawer is closed, key controlled means for locking said lock element inan inwardly moved position thereof in which the latch element islockingly engaged with said keeper, and spring means separate from saidfirst mentioned spring means for moving said lock element outwardly,thereby to permit said rst mentioned spring means to move said lock barto a position disengaging said latch element from said keeper, when saidkey controlled locking means is released.

ALBERT THEODORE SWIMMER.

